CORPSET

No Rest

Anmeldt av Matt Coe

(Violent Journey Records, 2013)

Karakter: 5/6

Returning with their second album "No Rest", Finnish death metal quintet Corpset hopefully stretch beyond their obvious old school Swedish influences that made 2011's "Ruins" very average in songwriting at best. What is interesting about the 9 songs on this record is the inclusion of a 9 minute plus arrangement "Prophet's Opiate" placed right in the middle of the track listing- already proving Corpset's desire to stretch into new horizons.

In this particular genre, the ability to be slow and heavy matters just as much as an all-out speed assault. The aforementioned "Prophet's Opiate" contains some sinister bass parts in the mid-section that Arto Tissari brings out to make the Middle Eastern / exotic riffs that much more special- while guitarists Jari Kelloniemi and Jami Heikkala stack their riffs up in an inviting way to build momentum, and the organ segment also throws me a left field curveball. When Corpset want to be heads down and put their speed face on, rest assured the Slayer-like trilling for "No Rest" and closing "Let the Shit Hit the Fan" will keep those into Entombed or Grave happy.

Where "No Rest" gains appeal for me is the attention to dynamic variety with changing tempos and upping the guitar harmony factor- without pandering to anything overtly commercial. Sure some will think some of the quick hitting licks for "Piss On Your Grave" possess some In Flames qualities- but the tones are still low, the bass rumbling, and vocalist Antti Murtonen is still growling from the underworld. Another highlight to me is "Futile"- the rhythmic syncopation at the beginning very much like early Metallica while the vocals express growls and screams depending on the particular word sentiment necessary.

Corpset appears to have made great improvement in establishing their own sound, and can only get better as they continue working together. This is meat and potatoes death metal, but now with strong melodic and harmonic nuances- another Finnish band to watch.